Vending apparatus for liquids



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l 1 i i t l 1 l V I I I l I l l l l l *l F. F. BADOUX ET AL VENDING APPARATUS FOR LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 5, 1925 June 1 1926.

Patented June l', 1926.

UNITED STATES FRANCIS F. BADOUX, OF EXETER, STACEY E. NA'YLOR, 0F

DINUBA, AND FRANK R.

IBRANN,' 0F VISALIA, CALIFORNIA.

'VENDING APPARATUS FOR LIQUIDS.

Application filed January 5, 1925. Serial No. 622.

This invention relates to vending appaiatus for liquids and particularly to that class of apparatus concerned with the delivery of measured quantities of liquid fuel to auto vehicles.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of fluid pressure means for discharging a desired quantity of liquid from a tank, the functioning of said means being automatically responsive to the release of fluid pressure within said tank in any desired manner, as by the mere act of opening to the atmosphere the discharge conduit from said tank. t

Another object of the invent-ion is to provide, in an automatically responsive fluid pressure discharge system of the type indicated, lneans whereby substantially consta-nt pressure is impressed upon the discharged liquid, making it possible to accurately determine the quantity delivered by passing it through a flow meter directly intercalated in the discharge line.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description of the following illustrative embodiment thereof develops.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation in section of a system embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a section on anenlarged scale of the pneumatic switch, one of the elements shown in Figure 1.

Referring now in detail to the several figures the numeral 1 represents a supply tank which is of the well known type, provided with a filling pipe 2 and an air vent 3. Said tank is preferably placed below the level of the ground, said level being designated by the reference character 4. The numeral 5 represents a pressure tank or reservoir, said tank being provided with a discharge conduit 6 extending from a point near the bottom `of said tank and preferably rising to a suitable height above the level of the ground. A liquid pump 7 is interposed between the supply tank 1 and pressure tank or reservoir 5, being in communication with the former by means of the conduit 8 and with the supply tank 5 through the conduit 9. Check valves 10 and 11 are placed in the respective conduits 8 and 9 in such a manner that the pump draws from the supply tank and discharges into the reservoir upon reciprocation of the pump plunger 12. A pneumatic motor 13 actuates the plunger 12 through a plunger rod 14, the same being connected to the piston 15 of the pneumatic motor. Said motor, in the present illustrative embodiment of the invention is controlled by a slide valve 16 lwhich places ports 17 and 18 alternately 1n communication with the air supply chest 19 and an exhaust passage 20 whlch opens to atmosphere. By this means air under pressure is admitted first to one side then'to the other of the piston 15 and s iniultaneously exhausted from the opposite sides of said piston. The slide valve is actuated by any desired means such as the rock lever 21, suitably connected to the plunger rod 14 and to the valve rod 22. A measuring device 23 which is preferably a flow meter is connected to the discharge conduit and a filling hose 24 of the usual type communicates with the discharge of the flow meter, A pipe 25, leading from a suitable source of compressed air, not shown communicates with the casing 26 of a pneumatic switch, and by the operation of said switch may be placed in communication with the air supply chest 19 or excluded therefrom. The construction of the pneumatic switch will be readily understood from a consideration of Figure 2 in which it will be observed that the easing 26 is provided with a partition 28 forming a main chamber 29 and a valve controlled chamber 27. The latter is in communication with the pipe 25 which leads from the source of air pressure. A valve 30 is operable to close the chamber 27, thereby excluding admission of the compressed air to the main chamber 29. A pipe 31 connects said main chamber with the air supply chest 19, so that when the valve 30 is closed no air pressure from the pipe 25 enters the air supply-chest, and the pneumatic motor does not operate. lVhen, however, the valve 30 is open the chamber 27 is placed in communication with the chamber 29 and pressure from'the pipe 25 freely enters through the pipe 31 into the air supply chest, reciprocating the piston 15 and thereby actuating the liquid pump 12, which draws the liquid fuel from the supply tank l and delivers it to the reservoir 5.

Operation of the valve 30 is brought about by the following instrumentalities. The casing 26 is provided with a partition 32 forming a plunger chamber 38 Within which a fluid-tight plunger 34 is adapted .to i'eciprocate. A lever 35 is pivotally connected, at an'intermediate point, to the casing. One end of said lever is pivotally and slidably connected to the rod 36 of the lunger 32 The opposite end of said lever is pivotally an slidably connected to the stem 37 of the valve 30. A spring 38 arranged between the lever 35 and a wall of the casing 26 normally gives a b1as to the plunger 34, through the lever 35 Vbalancing it against fluid pressure from the pipe 339, the opposite end of which pipe communicates with the reservoir 5 at a point above the normal level of liquid therein. The tension of the spring 38 is made variable by means of a sleeve 40 which surrounds the valve stem 37 and threadedly engages the wall of the casing. The inner end of said sleeve abuts against the end of the spring 38 so that when the sleeve is screwed inwardly the tension of the spring is 1ncreased. rhe spring is normally so tensioned relative to the pressure in the reservoir 5 that the valve 30 remains closed. In the operation of the apparatus, the discharge line is opened to atmosphere either by means of the hand operated valve 41 or, preferably by the openin'g of the valved hose nozzle 42. This permits a discharge of liquid from the pressure tank 5 under the head of pressure within said reservoir, at the same time lowering said pressure. Diminution of pressure within the reservoir is communicated through the pipe 39 to the pneumatic switch permitting the plunger 34 to be moved inwardly through oscillation of the lever 35 caused by unbalanced tension between the spring 38 and the pressure on the inner face of the plunger. This unseats the valve 30 permitting pressure from the pipe 25 to pass into the pipe 31, enter the air supply chest 19 and to initiate the operatic-n of the pneumatic motor 13. This actuates the pump 7 causing the latter to supply liquid fuel to the reservoir 5 to take the place of that which is being discharged. The pneumatic motor 13 will continue te operate the pump 7 until a sufficient quantity of fluid has been admitted to the reservoir to compensate for the discharged contents of the latter, raising the pressure in said supply tank to its normal pressure. When this pressure hasl been reached the plunger 34 is forced outwardly, oscillating the lever 35 in a direction opposite to that previously described causing the valve 30 to be seated with consequent exclusion of fluid pressure from the air supply chest. The pneumatic motor then ceases to operate and the pump 7 becomes quiescent until another quantity of liquid fuel is discharged from the reservoir. It will be observed that the operation of the pneumatic motor and consequent actuation of the liq- 5 uid pump are automatic, depending solely upon release of pressure in the reservoir brought about by opening a valve in the discharge line' preparatory to filling the tank of an auto vehicle. As, inthe use of a flow meter, the delivery of the exact quantity of the liquid depends upon its quick cut off at the moment when the desired amount has been registered by the flow meter, the flem'- ble hose 24 is preferably provided with a nozzle'having a quick cut-off valve so that when the desired quantity of liquid has been registered by the flow meter, the discharge from the hose may be at once cut off.

It is to be understood that the herein described embodiment of my invention is merely illustrative of the broad inventive concept and that the detailed construction of the several parts is by no means necessarily that which the invention may finally take.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic gasoline dispensing stand comprising a gasoline supply tank, a closed reservoir connected to said tank to receive gasoline therefrom, a dispensing tubing connected to said reservoir, automatic means for maintaining at all times a supply of gasoline in said reservoir, said means being controlled by the pressure developed within said closed reservoir due to the amount of gasoline forced thereinto, and a control valve at the end of said dispensing tubing for controlling the flow of gasoline from said reservoir and for thereby governing the flow of gasoline from said tank to said reservoir.

2. An automatic gasoline dispensing stand consisting of a gasoline supply tank, a closed reservoir for receiving gasoline therefrom, a dispensing tubing connected to said reservoir, a motor operated pump for moving the gasoline from said tank into said reservoir against the pressure of air confined therein, a pneumatic means for controlling the operation of the motor, said pneumatic means adapted to be responsive to the pressure of the confined air in said closed reservoir, and a control valve mounted at the end of said dispensing tubing for controlling the fiow of gasoline from said reservoir, the flow of gasoline acting to reduce the developed pressure in said reservoir and thereby causing said motor pump to operate to resupply said reservoir.

3. An automatic gasoline dispensing stand consisting of a gasoline supply tank, a closed reservoir for receiving gasoline from said tank, a pump for moving gasoline from said tank into said reservoir against a pressure developed by the air confined within said reservoir, a pneumatic motor for driving said pump, a pneumatic switch for controlling the flow of air to said motor,

said pneumatic switch being Connected to of gasoline from said reservoir and for 10 the top of said reservoir and beingoperated thereby changing the pressure of the conby the pressure of the confined air therein, fined air therein.

a gasoline dispensing tubing leading from In testimony whereof we have hereunto the bottom of said reservoir, a meter conset our hands.

nected in said tubing for indicating the quantity of the flow of gasoline from said FRANCIS F. BADOUX.

.reservoir, and a Valve at the end of said STACEY E. NAYLOR.

dispensing tubing for controlling the flow -FRANK R.' BRANN. 

